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Is the Bible a good read?

  • 26-04-2010 5:06pm
    #1
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 17,378 ✭✭✭✭


    I'm in no way religious but I'm on the lookout for a new book to read.. It sounds pretty interesting and obviously caught on round the world fairly well.

    Was reading this site and seen the below quote mixed in and it sounds like it's worth reading.. Just to see what things were like back then.
    http://www.edge.org/3rd_culture/pinker07/pinker07_index.html
    Political correctness from the other end of the ideological spectrum has also distorted many people's conception of violence in early civilizations—namely, those featured in the Bible. This supposed source of moral values contains many celebrations of genocide, in which the Hebrews, egged on by God, slaughter every last resident of an invaded city. The Bible also prescribes death by stoning as the penalty for a long list of nonviolent infractions, including idolatry, blasphemy, homosexuality, adultery, disrespecting one's parents, and picking up sticks on the Sabbath.

    So, how long would it take me? Is it a good read for an atheist? And where could I pick one up?


Comments

  • #2
    Rented Mule
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,154 ✭✭✭Rented Mule


    Get the DVD .....it's quicker.


  • #3
    Ghost Buster
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 5,172 ✭✭✭Ghost Buster


    Rented Mule wrote: »
    Get the DVD .....it's quicker.
    Yes but would last longer than this thread is going to:D


  • #4
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 17,378 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    Rented Mule wrote: »
    Get the DVD .....it's quicker.

    There wasn't much reliable information in it for a documentary..
    http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079470/

    Bill Hicks said there was a bible written with modern slang.. Was that a joke or was he being serious? Could be worth a gander.


    I've read Dante's Inferno a few years back so I am actually considering this.


  • #5
    Fanny Cradock
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 10,245 ✭✭✭✭Fanny Cradock


    If you are looking for a contemporary version of the bible then The Message is probably one of the more popular examples. It's an interpretation of the Bible in contemporary language rather than a strict translation. (You can see a comparison between verses here.) In other words, while it offers a fresh perspective, it's not to be confused with a careful translation from the Greek texts. (I note that you can pick up a used copy of The Message (New Testament and Psalms) for £0.70 on Amazon, p&p about £3.)

    You can get all sorts of versions of the bible - some less reliable than others. If you are you aren't willing to learn Greek (which is understandable) there are many other options available that offer more serious study. You can drill down as deep as you like.

    Biblegateway is a good resource if you want to look at various translations on-line. Apart from Amazon, there is a huge amount of on-line shops that specialise in bibles (see the resources sticky) or you could head to one of the Christian bookshops that are dotted around town.


  • #6
    wolfsbane
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,980 ✭✭✭wolfsbane


    Deleted User wrote: »
    I'm in no way religious but I'm on the lookout for a new book to read.. It sounds pretty interesting and obviously caught on round the world fairly well.

    Was reading this site and seen the below quote mixed in and it sounds like it's worth reading.. Just to see what things were like back then.
    http://www.edge.org/3rd_culture/pinker07/pinker07_index.html



    So, how long would it take me? Is it a good read for an atheist? And where could I pick one up?
    As literature, some parts are much more riveting than others - the historical parts for those who enjoy the overall saga and the detailed 'exciting episodes'; the beautiful poetic books; the profound insights on the spiritual world and our part in it; the letters to individuals and churches from the apostles, dealing with pressing issues as well as doctrinal instruction. The other parts that detail genealogies and list items and measurements are likely to slow things down for the general reader, who is not interested in finding nuggets in the ore. I would skip those if I were an new-comer, and stick to getting the overall picture.

    It is a dangerous book for an atheist, however:
    Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
    _______________________________________________________________
    1 Peter 1:23 having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever, 24 because


    “ All flesh is as grass,
    And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass.
    The grass withers,
    And its flower falls away,
    25 But the word of the LORD endures forever.”


    Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you.


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